It’s an incident back in 2015 which the White House would prefer to sweep under the proverbial rug. After the reports were confirmed of the downing of the C-130 aircraft, a war of words quickly ensued with the Taliban claiming a successful shoot-down, while the U.S. deny any altercation – claiming it was just an accident.

KABUL – An American C-130 transport plane has crashed in Afghanistan, killing at least 11 people, a US defense official has said. Among the dead are several US troop members and contracted civilians whose nationalities have not been disclosed.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for shooting down the C- 130, according to an international news agency. However, this information has not yet been confirmed, and US authorities previously denied any hostile engagement.

“Our mujahideen have shot down a four-engine US aircraft in Jalalabad,” the news agency cited Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as saying. “Based on credible information, 15 invading forces and a number of puppet troops were killed.”

Six US service members and five civilian contractors on board died in the crash, according to a US military spokesman, who did not rule out the possibility of more casualties on the ground.

At the same time, NBC reported that the plane crash claimed the lives of 12 people, including five US servicemen, five contractors, and two Afghani civilians.

A coalition spokesperson US Army Col. Brian Tribus has said the plane crashed shortly after midnight local time (3:30 p.m. ET) at Jalalabad Airport.